Malaysia’s Mahathir says no rights to recognise Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as Israeli capital

Isnin, 17 Disember 2018 2:32:22 PG

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks to reporters during a press conference at the Great Hall of the People (GHOP) in Beijing, China, 20 August 2018 [How Hwee Young - Pool/Getty Images]

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Sunday criticised Australia’s move to recognise West Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as Israel’s capital, saying countries had “no rights” to do so.

Australia’s move follows US President Donald Trump’s decision to move the US embassy to Al-Quds (Jerusalem) from Tel Aviv in May, which infuriated Palestinians and the wider Islamic world and upset Western allies.

“Al-Quds (Jerusalem) should remain as it is now and not the capital of Israel,” Mahathir told Reuterson the sidelines of an event in Bangkok, adding:

Al-Quds (Jerusalem) has always been under Palestine, so why are they taking the initiative to divide Al-Quds (Jerusalem) not belonging to them, but to divide the Arabs and the Jews?

They have no rights

Malaysia is a majority-Muslim country and has long supported a two-state solution in the Palestine-Israel conflict.

The status of Al-Quds (Jerusalem), home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths, is one of the biggest obstacles to a peace agreement between Israel and Palestinians who want East Al-Quds (Jerusalem) recognised as the capital of a Palestinian state.

Israel regards all of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital, including the eastern sector that it annexed in a move not recognised internationally, after the 1967 Middle East war.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison reversed decades of Middle East policy by the country but said there are no immediate plans to move the Australian embassy from Tel Aviv.

Source: Middle East Monitor